Blinding Light Tragedy
by Salexa
Summary: I see them die Doctor, every single one of them. How am I supposed to be near them, get close to them when every time I look at them all I can see is their death?


**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of it's character's, locations etc. I do claim my OC and any other characters/locations I create as well as the plot.**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 1: The Helix Key<span>**

"Gabbie, wait!" one day I'll leave on time. Releasing the handle, the door swings shut behind me, the bell tinkling quietly.

"Yes Mr. Lucas?" I call, taking a seat on the stool by the cash register, crossing my legs as I wait for him to emerge from the maze of boxes clogging the backroom.

"Oh good I caught you" he says carrying a box out and dumping it on the counter next to me. I can't stop the smile tugging up my lips with the way he looks. Gray thinning hair all askew, dust covering him from head to toe and his gold-framed glasses crooked on his nose. Rummaging around in the box he pulls out a gold tinged metal pendent. "Did you order this?" he passes it to me. Up close it looks like some sort of mechanism in the shape of a five point star and flower combine, fitting snugly into the palm of my hand. Some sort of metal puzzle?

"No, what is it and why's it so hot?" I pass it back, resisting the urge to blow on my fingers.

"Hot? It's not hot, if anything it's cold" he peers at me curiously, running his fingers across the raised edges. Maybe I'm mistaken. Holding out my hand, as soon as it touches the tip of my finger, heat radiates off it in waves, engulfing my whole hand. "Maybe it's just the gloves, you know how they vary the temperature." He suggests, taking a seat on the stool beside me.

"Yeah that's probably it," I shrug, spinning on the stool to face him. "So what are you going to do with it?" I place it on the glass top, sliding it along the counter toward him, watching it warily.

"Well…" he stretches out the word, rubbing his fingers gently along the edge of the glass, peering sideways at me over the rims of his glasses.

"You want me to research it don't you?" Rubbing my eyes, this is just what I need, another night staring at the computer screen.

"It's just that it takes me so long, and you know I can't use one of those computer things-"

"Alright alright I'll do it" I pause as crinkles form at the corner of his eyes like an overused map "as long as I leave right now."

"Yes yes go!" he practically tips me off my stool in his haste to get me out the door. "Here you better take this with you" he grabs the pendent, slipping the linked chain over my head. Flinching but nothing happens when it comes to rest gently against my skin. It's still warm but nothing compared to before, just a comforting ripple of warmth. Tucking it beneath my shirt I continue toward the door.

"Good bye Mr. Lucas, I'll see you tomorrow." Grabbing my jacket off the hook, I shove my arms through the holes, before tugging the beanie over my head, trying unsuccessfully to keep my hair secured underneath.

"Bye Gabbie" he replies, voice muffled from the current box he's got his head stuck in. Only for you Mr. Lucas am I giving up my evening.

Laughing quietly, I pull the door open. Instantly I'm assaulted by the fierce winds and what feels like, tiny flakes of ice stinging my cheeks. Geez would you look at that cloud, it looks as if a giant black pen has leaked everywhere, staining the sky. Where on earth did it come from, it most certainly wasn't there ten minutes ago? There goes my sunny afternoon reading in the park.

Clutching the jacket tighter around me, glad I decided to go with the knee-length woollen one today, I trudge forward keeping my head down. It's so incredibly quiet, even with the storm raging above. Glancing around, the streets are completely deserted, not even any pigeons scavenging for food. Even they're smart enough to know when to retreat. Unlike me apparently. I should have waited at the store, at least then I knew I wasn't being followed.

You know when all logic and fact point to you being alone but you still have that gut feeling of being followed, eyes watching your every move. Well that's how I feel now. Stomach tight, with ants crawling up my neck. Glancing back there's no one there. _Calm down Gabriella, don't panic_. Picking up the pace, I have to force myself not to look around every 2 seconds. _Don't let them know that they've frightened you._

Stepping onto the path the gravel crunches loudly, sending me scuttling onto the grass. Oh as if that wasn't obvious. They're probably silently laughing their heads off. Continuing forward, the park looks completely different. The bare trees, with their clawed limbs out stretched, look ready to scoop up passing victims. _No they don't, you're just imagining it_. Moving into a light jog I can't resist the urge to look over my shoulder. Oh shit!

Abandoning further discretion, I sprint down the path, legs screaming with the exertion. If I can just get out of the park there'll be no trees to hide behind. I can feel them gaining on me. Only a few more metres…

Diving onto the road, I barely make it as claws scrape against my collar. Hitting the ground my scream is halted halfway, as all the air goes whooshing from my lungs. Gasping, I shove to my feet. They'll be on me any second. But why aren't they already? What are they waiting for? Not that I'm not glad, but why?

Stupid, over curious brain! Taking a deep breath, I turn to face my pursuers.

Stumbling back, what the hell are they? There standing within the confines of the shadowy park are a dozen humanoid creatures. Five feet tall, slender build composed entirely of constantly shifting mist, as if a gust of wind would scatter them into a million pieces. Well except for their taloned feet and hands made of what appears to be varying sized pieces of hail.

Shuffling among themselves it appears as if they're arguing, the darker area of mist, where I assume the mouth would be, is moving, incomprehensible whispers passing back and forth between them. How are they even real? Well I suppose anything's possible after what happened a couple of years back. And who am I to complain about what should and shouldn't be real.

Standing as still as I can, I continue to watch them but they seem to have momentarily forgotten me. No time to waste then. Keeping them within my peripheral visions, I edge along the centre of the road. Nearly half a block away the guttural roar is so violent it would be mistaken as thunder. Jumping away I guess they finally noticed I've moved. Sparing a look back, I just catch sight of them as they evaporate into nothingness, only to reform again in the ally across the way. Why not just chase me out into the open?

Dashing down the empty street, they are keeping pace with me, materialising in any area sunlight couldn't penetrate even on a clear mid summer's day. Even the darkness from the storm isn't enough to lure them out into the open. So they're afraid of sunlight? But it's not exactly light now. Something else then. UV, infrared light? Like that time I got sunburnt in the middle of that storm. Okay so if that's it I've got what, a couple of hours max until there's nothing holding them back.

Shoving those thoughts aside I'm nearly home when I come careening to a halt. There standing in the darkness cast by my building are row upon row of them, growling from their vaporis mouths.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" I scream, frustration boiling over as tears cascade down my cheeks. As if in sync the sky erupts pouring buckets of icy water, soaking me to the skin as if my clothes are nothing but tissue paper. It appears not to affect them, passing straight through as if they don't even exist. Shivering, the Mist Monsters as I decided to call them, separate for a slightly taller one to proceed to the front. Stopping at the edge of the shadow, It stares at me, tilting It's head sideways as if trying to work me out. Straightening It starts to talk, It's language meaningless to my ears. The only thing I could make out was 'Helix' whatever that is.

"I have absolutely no idea what you just said." I say, wiping the rain from my eyes to view them clearly.

"Oh just that you have the key to the Helix, and they're willing to kill you for it. Quite looking forward to it actually. So basically Run!" a man in his mid twenty's shouts, grinning madly, before grabbing my hand and dragging me after him.

"What!?" I yell over the pounding of the rain, running who knows where with the tweed and bow tie wearing man. But it's better than the alternative. I think? "Where are we going?"

"Solarium" he replies pulling me around a corner as the Mist Monsters materialise in front of us. Glancing up its continuing to get darker, only the bright flashes of lightening letting us know that it's not night.

Running passed shop fronts, I realise where in a posh area, all the stores being fancy boutiques, clothes shops I can't even pronounce the names of and cafés interspersed between them. You'd never see a bit of dust or graffiti ruining these polished windows. But they're all locked up now, windows dark. Surely they aren't scared of a storm, possible power outage?

"Wait, I missed it!" the man jerks me around, my arm straining to remain in its socket. Stopping a couple of stores back in front of Miss Gloria's Tanning Salon he drops my hand, pulling out a metallic cylindrical device with a green light on the end. Pointing it at the door, it emits a whirring noise. "Come on" he whacks it against his palm a couple of times, before aiming it back at the lock.

"Whatever that is" I say breathing hard, as I lean against the door frame next to his crouched form "whacking doesn't usually help"

"Yes it does. Lots of thing work better with a little whack." He glances up, green light reflecting off his excited eyes. He must be mad, being chased by things that want to kill us, and excited about the prospect. "What you've never whacked the telly remote against your leg to get the batteries working? Exactly." He smiles, focusing back on the door lock, the whirring increasing in pitch as metal prongs spring out from the end.

"So it's like a telly remote?" I ask as the ants feeling returns, but I don't glance around, let them think we haven't noticed.

"Yes! Wait no No! It's nothing like a telly remote." He shakes his head frantically. "The sonic screwdriver is a complex piece of technology. Right now it's unlocking the door and deactivating the security. Works on anything, the sonic. Well except wood and deadlocks. I really should get around to fixing that." He finishes quietly. Definitely mad.

"Well can you hurry it up they've-"

"Surrounded us. Yes I know. Nearly there." Shuffling on my feet, maybe I should just go, take my chances. They're made of mist they can't be that dangerous, well except the claws… and they're after me, not him so he'd be alright. "Ah got it, come on." He shouts triumphantly, as he pushes me through the door before him, sonicing it shut.

Flicking the lights on, I have to blink a couple of time to adjust to the sudden brightness. Not a power outage, so where is everyone?

Taking in the room everything is white; the walls, the counter at the back of the room, the leather lounges hugging the walls, even the coffee tables covered with fashion magazines. The only things that aren't, are the gold streaked marble tiles. Extravagant, that's the only way I can describe it.

Water dripping everywhere, I follow the trail left by the man to the right and through the door, into a room with two rows of tanning beds lining the edges, looking like futuristic metal coffins. Why anyone would want to lie in one, slowly cooking their skin… how can they ignore all the health risks just to look brown? What's wrong with being pale?

"Come on, don't just stand there help me move these." He calls, half of the tanning beds already emitting a buzzing glow, lighting the room in a pale purply-blue. Geez he moves fast, we've been in here what, less than a minute.

"So the UV light will stop them?" I ask as we're pushing the beds around.

"Yes, they can't pass through direct ultraviolet light. If even a single ray touches them, they'll disintegrate, their cell walls losing their ability to hold their form. Like popping a bubble." He assures switching the last bed on, creating a rectangle of light.

"Okay, so now what? You said something about a key, how'd you understand them anyway?"

"I speak all languages and yes the key to the Helix. They seemed pretty sure you had it, do you?" he pushes his wet hair out of his eyes to peer at me questionably.

"What, No! I've only got my house keys." I fish them out of my sopping pocket, shaking off the excess water. "And what do you mean 'all languages' it didn't sound like any I've heard before?" he grabs my keys scanning them with the sonic screwdriver.

"Boring old human keys, definitely not what they're after." He chucks them back to me. "Have you picked up anything in the last day or two, could be anything; a ring, a lump of metal, a pendent…" unconsciously bringing my hand up I trace the pendent through my shirt, it couldn't it be the key, surely not? "What's that?" he asks, having been watching me.

"This, I don't know. Mr. Lucas found it out the back and asked me to research it." I lift the chain over my head grabbing the star in the other hand. It's still as hot as before, wisps of steam rising from where it contacts the glove. Why does it do that and why only to me? Dropping it I let it dangle from its chain. "You think this is the key?"

"Yes, most likely." He reaches out to take it, but I step back snatching my hand away. Frowning, his arm remaining out stretched, "I have to scan it to be sure." he says, eyes narrowing slightly.

"First answer my question properly. You say you speak all languages but I've never heard anything like it. You could be making stuff up for all I know. I don't even know your name?" I continue to back away from him.

"The Doctor" he replies, voice low.

"Oh well that's very informative. Thanks 'Doctor'." I say, tone darkening. "I think I'll take my chances with the Mist Monsters." I say turning to walk out the door.

"Wait!" he grasps my arm tightly, stopping me just before the door.

"Let me go!" I try to shake him off, but he's incredibly strong for his size.

"I wasn't lying to you, I promise." He turns me to face him, placing his hands on my shoulders. "The 'Mist Monsters' as you call them are actually the Vilomints, and they were speaking their native language of Shivlock." He explains, his face mere centimetres from mine as he stares into my eyes with his green-gray ones.

Staring back, his eyes are so old, pain, loss and suffering burned into the retinas, casting never fading shadows. Such eyes shouldn't belong to someone so young.

"I need you to trust me, at least just for a little while." He says, those ancient eyes pleading with me. So much blame he puts on himself, I won't add to it.

"Okay" I say quietly.

"Okay?" I nod my head.

The change is immediate, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. I wish I could do that, flip a switch, only letting the bright, happy thoughts shine through. Removing his hands he steps back with an infectious smile.

"Good, let's have a look at you." He says as I place the pendent in his hand. He scans it with the sonic screwdriver for a few seconds before bringing the sonic to his face to check the readings I guess, though I didn't see any screen. "Definitely what they're looking for. You said Mr. Lucas found it?" he looks up from the device to me.

"Yeah in the back room, we've been clearing it out. He found it in one of the boxes." I answer draping the drenched jacket across the gap between the tanning beds.

"How long's it been there?" the Doctor asks twisting the key in a circular motion along its edges. So it is like a metal puzzle.

"I don't know, years possibly."

"So what's changed, why come now? The tracker was still working, well up until a minute ago, so they must have known it was there, unless they didn't lose it and they hid it there on purpose. But why? Why put it there for anyone to find, there has to be a reason?" He says so quickly that I missed half of it. Pausing his pacing he walks towards me leaning against the wall, "Has anything weird happened lately?"

"Not that I've seen, but I don't know about Mr. Lucas he might have seen something, he's practically there 24/7." I push away from the wall. "But now we know what the key is, can't we just give it the Vilomints?"

"No, whatever this key unlocks, it can't be anything good, not if they are willing to kill for it. We need to find out what this Helix is. Will Mr. Lucas still be at the store?" Checking my watch, it's just after 3pm.

"Yeah, we don't shut until 5pm on Fridays-"

"Good, good. Come along El…" the Doctor pauses on his way to the door and turns back eyes wide. "I haven't even asked your name, how rude!" he scolds himself.

"It's okay" I let a small laugh at his expression, "There hasn't exactly been time for small talk and introductions." I stick my gloved hand out to shake. "Gabriella Lux."

"Lovely to meet you Gabriella." He shakes my hand firmly, before letting go and intertwining his fingers with my left hand. "Let's go talk to Mr. Lucas." He pulls me out the door. I barely have time to grab my jacket as we pass.

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><p><strong>AN: Hi thanks for reading. It's my first time writing the 11th Doctor so I hope he's in character. **

**What did you think, should I continue? I have some idea's but I'm not sure if it's any good.**

**It would be lovely if you could leave a review.**

**Salexa**


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